Chelsea have taken the first step towards a possible temporary move to Twickenham after making an approach to the Rugby Football Union.

29 September 2014 02:30 PM

Chelsea have taken the first step towards a possible temporary move to Twickenham after making an approach to the Rugby Football Union.

The RFU has confirmed it has been sounded out about the prospect of the Premier League club using the 82,000-capacity home of English rugby while Stamford Bridge is redeveloped.

Chelsea announced in June that they are looking at possible expansion plans for their stadium, although dates for any work have not been specified. It had previously been mooted that the club could seek out a permanent new home, however suitable London sites are in short supply.

The Scottish Rugby Union has allowed Murrayfield to be used for club football, with Celtic playing European games at the Edinburgh stadium earlier this year while Celtic Park and Hampden were tied up during the Commonwealth Games.

Twickenham has previously refused football teams permission to move in for short periods, with the then RFU chief executive Francis Baron saying in 2001, when Fulham were seeking a temporary home, that "we are not interested", citing difficulties with segregation of supporters along with traffic and policing issues.

The RFU said in a statement: "We have had an enquiry from Chelsea FC but have not had any discussions of any substance."